Walking the Dogs

I've been volunteering dog walking at our local shelter. It is a return. Driving down off the Hill, from the early sun, down into the coastal fog. I did the first shift for the first time this morning, arriving at seven. The shelter was mostly dark, very few folks around, I was the only dog walker on.

I signed in, got my necessaries (keys, poop-bags, treats, "out for a walk" sign, and pen to record information on kennel cards) and went out to the dogs. There is always the cacophony of barking when someone opens that door. I walk calmly, soft-bodied, down the aisle and open the first kennel lock. Vinnie, Poppy, Philip, Domino, Manny, and others and others, from the bouncy to the shaking timid, take a ten minute break with me. There will be a crowd of dog walkers in at nine to give them more but for now they are out and about, relieving themselves, and smelling the day - just a bit, with me.

Afterward I was thinking of the odd change from being the Shelter Manager to being a new recruit volunteer, walking dogs and helping at the Front Desk. It brought to mind the intricacy of all the different folks, doing their different jobs, making the shelter function. Also how essential it is for people in vastly different roles, who may or may not interact with each other in their individual functions, to respect each other and the work that they are all doing.

Simple gestures go a surprisingly long way to making the atmosphere a pleasant one: greetings, eye-contact, thanking everyone for their time. It is a culture of kindness and support that is built internally, that radiates outward into the community.